Spending money on home repairs isn’t anyone’s idea of fun or the most preferred way to spend your hard-earned cash. However, home repairs are a necessary evil, and with wear and tear, your house, the materials used to build it, and all its accessories and fittings will need repairs or replacing; there’s no getting away with it.
While some small jobs can be overlooked and deemed non-emergent, there are many home repairs that you should let fall by the wayside and neglect to rectify. It can compromise your safety and the safety of everyone living in or visiting your home and sometimes void your home insurance. Is it really worth taking that risk to avoid shelling out on something that has broken or become damaged? The answer is likely no. This post looks at some of the home repairs tasks you should put off.
Roof
Your roof is your home’s main protection from the elements, and as such, any damage it sustains can be catastrophic for your home. From letting in rain or snow through holes or missing tiles to increasing energy loss from draughts and worn seals to pest or bird infestations, thanks to them being able to gain access to your home via the roof. Roofs can sustain damage from various factors, including weather conditions, pests, debris build-up, and simply due to the roof’s age (most standard roofs will last around 25-50 years, depending on the construction and your local environment).
However, fixing a roof can be tricky, especially if you have a multilevel roof or it isn’t of a standard structure. Plus, identifying issues from the ground can be tough, and accessing the roof can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. In this instance, it is well worth calling in a roofing contractor to help you identify roofing issues and get them resolved swiftly. It is also worth checking your homeowner’s insurance to see if roof repairs or replacements are covered in full or partially to help you cover the cost should this be a more extensive fix.
Rotten Wood
There are many aspects of your home that can be made from wood, and while this might vary from home to home, there is a big chance you could experience wood rot anywhere. Be it rotted window frames, joists, floor boards, doors, etc. While this is most common in older homes, any home with a wood construction or wooden elements can experience this issue.
Wood rot starts when moisture seeps into your home. Fungi grow and compromise the integrity of the wood, causing it to break down. If you notice any signs your wood in the house looks or feels like this is happening, you need to call for painting and wood rot repair services to help you fix the damage and ensure the safety of your home.
Mold and Mildew
Moving on from the previous point nicely brings us to mold and mildew. This is when your home has excess water in places it shouldn’t have, and the moisture leads to mold growth. It can happen to any home at any time, and every homeowner should know the signs and causes of dampness within the home. From a musty smell to black marks on the wall, areas feeling wet that probably shouldn’t be wet, bubbled paint or wallpaper peeling, and an increase in sinus or respiratory illnesses that you cannot shake.
Mold and mildew are detrimental to your home and your health, and if you notice any signs, you should get it remedied as soon as possible. This can be either via using DIY products or calling in the professionals to ascertain the source and cause of the dampness and eliminate it for a healthier home environment.
Structural Cracks
Whether it is foundation cracks you notice or cracks in your wall, if there is more than simply, the wall coating being damaged or paintwork starting to look its age, you need to get an expert in fast.
Cracks that run diagonally or jagged stair-step cracks can often be signs of structural issues, as foundation cracks wider than 3/16 of an inch and cracks are wider at the bottom than the top. Your home could be experiencing movement making the structure unsafe and a hazard to live in. You should always call in contractors to assess the damage and determine the issue and not try to DIY this type of repair, as it can make the problem much worse. So as soon as you see any cracks that cause you concern and aren’t from paint, wallpaper, or plastering and render on walls, call a structural engineer to get it sorted.
Conclusion
Many home repairs are minor and can be resolved quickly and easily without any cause for concern. However, the abovementioned problems can become more dangerous if not corrected and lead to more significant issues for your property and the safety of those living in it.
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